A police taskforce credited with almost halving the number of murders in Scotland over the past 10 years is inspiring efforts to tackle violent crime in London.

Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, is understood to be exploring a range of initiatives pioneered over the past decade by Scotland’s violence reduction unit (VRU) amid escalating knife attacks in the capital.

Officials have expressed interest in the annual cost of running the VRU and recently visited Glasgow to learn more about the unit’s work.

In February, Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner, visited Glasgow, once known as the stabbing capital of Europe. She was accompanied by Sophie Linden, London’s deputy mayor for policing and crime, and met those involved in setting up the VRU, as well as…

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